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Literature Circles: What You Need to Know

Lately, everywhere I turn teachers are talking about literature circles–and for good reason! If you’re looking for a way to create rigor in your classroom and to cultivate authentic, real-life skills in your students, then literature circles may just be the activity your curriculum needs!

In this blog post, I’ll cover everything you need to know about literature or lit circles. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.

What is a Literature Circle?

Simply, in a literature circle, students discuss a piece of literature together. Usually, this is done in small groups. 

Traditionally in English classes, the whole class reads one literary work together. The students may complete several assignments around the text before completing a final essay or project as a capstone to the unit.

In a literature circles unit, however, there may be several groups of students with each group reading a different novel. These groups of students study, read, and work together to understand their text. 

The level of structure in a literature circle will vary, but they usually include some structured and some unstructured discussions amongst students. 

Are Literature Circles Effective?

At the time of writing, literature circles are considered to be one of the best practices for teaching secondary English and are gaining in popularity.

Literature circles combine some of the most effective teaching strategies we know of for language development: independent reading , collaborative discussion, and student-centered learning.

Lit Circles Encourage Choice

A benefit of literature circles is that they encourage student choice.

We know that when students feel that they have a say, they are more engaged. Allowing students to choose their text allows them to feel more empowered and involved in their own learning.

Literature circles also allow students some time for unstructured conversation around literature. Answering worksheet questions will get wearisome for even the best of students, but highly engaging conversations about interesting texts never get old. 

Lit Circles Can Be More Authentic Ways of Interacting with Texts

One of the great features of literature circles is that they mirror the way readers actually interact with the texts that they read.

Literature circles invite students to discuss, question, and debate literature the same way that adults in a book club might. 

While reading worksheets might be an effective way of making sure students read, they don’t mirror real life. When have you ever put down a great book in your adult life before immediately starting a book report on it?

The traditional assignments teachers often give students work for accountability, but they rarely instill the kind of routines and habits that lifelong readers use to stay lifelong readers. 

Lit circles, however, can do this. They encourage authentic engagement with a text. 

Want to learn more about the pedagogy behind literature circles? Here are some of the best professional development books on this topic:

Literature Circles Vs. Book Clubs

Literature circles and book clubs are similar in many ways:

• Lit circles and book clubs provide students with choices
• Both provide opportunities for small group discussion
• Both involve a variety of core texts in the classroom instead of a single novel or literary work 

But there are some key differences. Literature circles tend to be more structured with a focus on an academic outcome than book clubs.  

In a literature circle unit, students may only have three or four novels to choose from. Their groups might be anywhere from five to ten students. All of the novel choices will share a key quality such as a theme, historical time period, or author.

In a book club, students might have more than ten different novel choices that vary greatly. These novels may or may not have a unifying characteristic. Student groups may be as small as three or four students. 

Usually, book clubs are focused on getting students to engage with and enjoy a text . Alternatively, literature circles are more focused on getting students to analyze a text.

Therefore, book club discussions may be more unstructured and less focused (“Who’s your favorite character?”).

Literature circle discussions will be more structured and focused on literary craft (“Which characters are dynamic and which are static?”)

How Do You Conduct a Literature Circle?

Every teacher will, of course, have his or her own way of structuring a literature circle. If this is your first time, however, it may help to have a few steps to follow.

Here’s my advice for creating and conducting literature circles. (But don’t be afraid to add your own flair to your lit circles unit!)

Step 1: Decide on Your Academic Goals

First, you should know why you’re conducting literature circles. What skills or topics are you trying to teach?  Knowing the end goal will help you select novels that will support your educational mission.

If your only goal is to teach a standard or skill, then you should choose novels that will serve this purpose. For example, if you want students to practice writing personal narratives, assign memoirs.

But if you’re using a literature circle to teach a genre, your novel choices should all be from that genre. For example, if you’re teaching a dystopian unit using lit circles, you’ll obviously choose books from the dystopian genre.

Let’s say that you wanted to teach a social justice unit in your English class. (I highly recommend this! Social justice gets my students engaged and talking every time!).

If your unifying concept is social justice, then you’ll obviously want to choose novels with a social justice theme.

In my Black Lives Matter Social Justice Literature Circle bundle , I niched down even further and focused on the Black Lives Matter Movement.

I decided to include The Hate U Give , Dear Martin , and All American Boys . Together they offered a variety of protagonists, story lengths, and Lexile levels. 

When choosing novels, give as much variety as possible.

Step 2: Choose a Summative Assessment

A summative assessment is any final assignment that is meant to demonstrate mastery of a skill or concept. This could be an essay, a test, or a project. (I’m a fan of authentic assessments as summative assignments.)

Will your students be completing a literary analysis essay at the end of their literature circles? Completing a formal discussion? Will they present a speech?

You always want to lesson plan with the end in mind. Once you know what the students’ final outcome should be, then you can plan backward.

What skills will need to be taught? How much time will you need to give them to work on this final project?

For example, when designing my Black Lives Matter Social Justice Literature Circle Bundle , I knew I wanted students to deliver a speech . A speech, after all, is a powerful way to speak out against social injustice.

I wanted students to research an injustice that spoke to them. At the end of the quarter, they present a speech on it to the class. 

Once I knew that students would be giving a speech , I made sure to provide time every week for students to research, outline, and practice their speeches. 

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Step 3: Determine the Level of Structure for Your Literature Circles

We’ve already discussed that literature circles will be more structured and more analytical than a book club. But even within the realm of literature circles, some are more structured than others.

The amount of structure will inevitably affect the type of assignments students complete.

Loosely Structured

One less structured method could be to have all students working on the same assignments but responding with content from the novel they chose.

For example, maybe one week you present a mini-lesson on characterization and then students analyze the protagonist from their novels specifically. 

The advantage to this is that you have to prepare less. All the students get one lesson and one assignment. 

The disadvantage is that you aren’t able to really dig into the nitty-gritty of each novel with the students that are reading it. 

Tightly Structured

For you type-A teachers, you could create assignments specific to each novel. For example, each student will have reading questions to answer specific to the novel that he or she is reading . 

Obviously, this will take way more prep time on your part. But students will be able to dive more deeply into the novels that they read.

In my Black Lives Matter Social Justice Literature Circle Bundle , all students will complete the same general assignments: reading questions, quizzes, writing prompts, book discussions, etc. But each assignment is specific to the novel that each student is reading. 

This way, each student is doing work individualized to his or her novel of choice, but the grade book is still essentially the same for each student. 

Step 4: Create A Calendar for Reading and Discussing

Once you have the books, the summative assessment, and the lessons and assignments for students along the way, all that’s left to do is plan with a calendar. 

This will vary greatly depending on the ability of your students, the lengths of the novels, and how much homework time you are comfortable assigning. If students will be doing all of the reading in class, you may want to opt for shorter books or do a graphic novel lit circle instead. 

Obviously, different students will read at different paces and groups with longer books may take more time to finish than groups with shorter books. Keep this in mind when planning group and whole class activities. 

If you’re planning a unit that will take a whole quarter (nine weeks of instruction time), aim for about five weeks of reading. This will give you one week to introduce the literature circles and for students to choose their novels and two weeks to wrap up the unit and complete final assessments. 

From there, you can break up each novel into five mostly equal parts. For example, if Group A’s book is 250 pages, they’ll all need to read 50 pages each week. Group B’s book might only be 200 pages, so they’ll need to read just 40 pages each week. 

Be very clear with your expectations for reading . How much will students need to do outside of class? How much time will they be given to read during class? I recommend giving them a calendar or list of deadlines with the expectations on it. 

You’ll also need to decide how often the literature circles will meet. I recommend letting them discuss their novels at least once a week. This will keep students accountable for their reading and provide some intrinsic motivation to keep them going with the unit.

Running Literature Discussion Groups

What will you have students do when they meet with their groups? That’s up to you!

You may want to provide students with a list of questions to answer or conversation starters. If your students are fairly independent, they may not need these; they might be able to jump into a discussion on their own!

I recommend, however, not dictating every moment that students discuss together. The magic of literature circles happens when student conversation goes “off script” and they begin to explain confusing areas to one another or naturally debating the author’s intent. 

We want to encourage students to come up with their own questions or goals for their discussions. One of literature circles’ greatest benefits is independent learning! 

It’s wise to provide students with literature circles roles and goals, however, to keep students on task. We all know how easy it is for students’ conversations to stray away from the main objective. 

Literature Circle Group Roles

Google “Literature Circles Roles” or “Student Roles” and you’ll come across all kinds of creative roles for students to undertake while working together. The title of the job isn’t important; what matters is that each student feels responsible for the success of the group and feels included.  

That said, here are some basic roles that you can let students assume during their group meetings:

• Facilitator : The facilitator guides the conversation, reads the questions aloud to the group, and keeps the discussion moving forward.
• Timekeeper : The timekeeper makes sure that the group doesn’t spend too much time on a single question or task. He or she sets limits to the discussions and gently lets the group know when it’s time to move on or when time is running out. 
• Recorder : The recorder acts as the group’s scribe, writing down collective answers or taking notes on the group’s big ideas. 
• Encourager : The encourager makes sure that everyone is heard and given opportunities to share. During discussions, the encourager will make a point to specifically ask quiet group members for input or deliberately make sure that everyone has shared an idea before the group moves on. 
• Summarizer : The summarizer takes everything that group members have shared, summarizes it, and helps the recorder decide what to write down. 

There are, of course, many more roles that you could create. (A fun option to add might be an Illustrator, who creates sketch notes of the group’s discussion!)

Roles may also vary depending on any tasks you give student groups to complete or depending on the book that students are reading. 

Make sure that students rotate through the group roles so that they have a chance to try a variety of different leadership tasks.

It’s ok for there to be double roles in large groups, too. For example, a six-person group may want two Recorders who take turns writing down responses.

How Long Should Literature Circles Last?

This will vary a lot depending on the length of your class, the length of the novels, and the outcome goals of the literature circles. 

If students are reading full novels independently, I think you will probably need at least a full nine-week quarter for this. Especially if you are teaching other skills or concepts during the unit. 

If you’re in a model that has A and B days, in which you only see your classes every other day, you may even want to stretch literature circles out to a full semester.

But, if your students are doing literature circles around graphic novels or short stories, you could easily cut down a literature circle to just a few weeks. It all depends on how independently your students will be working. 

Use your best judgment. I always recommend leaving a “buffer week” for any unit planning. If you do this, you should be able to adjust a little as you go. 

In my Black Lives Matter Social Justice Literature Circle Bundle , I recommend completing the unit over the course of nine weeks: one week for a unit introduction, five weeks for reading and crafting speeches, one week for final book discussions and speech practice, and the last week for presenting speeches. Plus the magical buffer week!

The unit bundle comes with a suggested pacing guide, but even that would need to be adjusted by the educator according to the needs of his or her students. 

A Final Word on Literature Circles

If you want to give students choice, increase student independence, and reinforce a variety of skills and lifelong learning habits, then literature circles are the way to go!

Ready to try literature circles, but intimidated by the amount of prep work that they seem to need? Try my done-for-you, print-and-go (or upload-and-go!) Black Lives Matter Social Justice Literature Circle Unit . 

It includes everything you need to teach three Black Lives Matter-inspired novels, a speech project, and supplemental activities. Check it out here!

Literature Circles: Getting Started

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

This lesson provides a basic introduction to literature circles, a collaborative and student-centered reading strategy. Students begin by selecting a book together then are introduced to the four jobs in the Literature Circles: Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Vocabulary Enricher, and Checker. The teacher and student volunteers model the task for each of the four roles, and then students practice the strategies. The process demonstrates the different roles and allows students to practice the techniques before they are responsible for completing the tasks on their own. After this introduction, students are ready to use the strategy independently, rotating the roles through four-person groups as they read the books they have chosen. The lesson can then be followed with a more extensive literature circle project.

Featured Resources

Self-Reflection: Taking Part in a Group Interactive : Using this online tool, students describe their interactions during a group activity, as well as ways in which they can improve. Students can add rows and columns to the chart and print their finished work.

From Theory to Practice

Literature circles are a strong classroom strategy because of the way that they couple collaborative learning with student-centered inquiry. As they conclude their description of the use of literature circles in a bilingual classroom, Peralta-Nash and Dutch explain the ways that the strategy helped students become stronger readers:

Students learned to take responsibility for their own learning, and this was reflected in how effectively they made choices and took ownership of literature circle groups. They took charge of their own discussions, held each other accountable for how much or how little reading to do, and for the preparation for each session. The positive peer pressure that the members of each group placed on each other contributed to each student's accountability to the rest of the group. (36)

When students engage with texts and one another in these ways, they take control of their literacy in positive and rewarding ways.

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

Multiple copies of literature books

• Literature Circle Roles
• Discussion Director
• Vocabulary Enricher
• Literary Luminary
• Literature Circle Process
• Self-Reflection: Taking Part in a Group (optional instead of online version)

Preparation

• Review the basic literature circle strategy, using the Websites linked in the Resources section. Before you begin the lesson, you should have a strong working knowledge of how the strategy works.
• Preview and read the books that students will choose among for this lesson so that you are familiar with the plot and literary elements. According to Hill, Johnson and Noe (1995), it is best to choose books that arouse emotions, are well-written, and are meaningful (113). The books should reflect students' reading levels as well. Gather copies of the books for each student group.
• If desired, make overhead transparencies of the Literature Circle Roles and Literature Circle Process . Alternately, you might write the information on chart paper or the board.
• Make copies of the Literature Circle Role Sheets ( Discussion Director , Vocabulary Enricher, Literary Luminary , and Checker ) for students to use independently and as they practice. Overhead transparencies of the forms may also be useful as the class explores the requirements of each task.
• Make copies of the Self-Reflection Worksheet , or if students will complete the self-reflection online, test the Online Self-Reflection Checklist on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tool and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

Student Objectives

Students will

• discuss, define, and explore unfamiliar words.
• predict text events using previous knowledge and details in the text.
• use evidence in text to verify predictions.
• ask relevant and focused questions to clarify understanding.
• respond to questions and discussion with relevant and focused comments.
• paraphrase and summarize information from the text.
• identify and analyze literary elements in text.

Session One

• Introduce literature circles by explaining they are "groups of people reading the same book and meeting together to discuss what they have read" (Peralta-Nash and Dutch 30).
• Emphasize the student-centered collaborative nature of the reading strategy by discussing how the strategy places students "in charge of leading their own discussions as well as making decisions for themselves" (Peralta-Nash and Dutch 30). Share some of the ways that students will work independently (e.g., choosing the text the group will read, deciding on the questions that the group will discuss about the text).

Discussion Director creates questions to increase comprehension asks who, what, why, when, where, how, and what if Vocabulary Enricher clarifies word meanings and pronunciations uses research resources Literary Luminary guides oral reading for a purpose examines figurative language, parts of speech, and vivid descriptions Checker checks for completion of assignments evaluates participation helps monitor discussion for equal participation

• Preview the way that literature circles work for students, sharing the Literature Circle Process on the overhead projector or chart paper. Alternately, pass out copies for students to refer to.
• Explain that the class will practice each of the roles before students try the tasks on their own.
• Choose a short book with at least eight chapters to read as a whole class, beginning during the next class session.

Session Two

• Review basic information about literature circles.
• Explain that during this session, you will act as the Discussion Director to demonstrate how to do the task.
• creates questions to increase comprehension
• asks who, what, why, when, where, how, and what if
• Pass out copies of the Discussion Director role sheet and preview the information it contains.
• Read Chapter 1 of the text chosen during the previous session together.
• Demonstrating the Discussion Director Role, pause during the reading, as appropriate, to add details to the Discussion Director role sheet; or complete the  Discussion Director role sheet after the reading is complete.
• Re-read the questions on the  Discussion Director role sheet and make any revisions.
• Demonstrate how the Discussion Director would use the  Discussion Director role sheet to lead discussion.
• Allow time to discuss the first chapter freely in order to show how discussion of questions and ideas that are not on the sheet is also appropriate.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make observations about how the Discussion Director role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Three

• Have students get out copies of the  Discussion Director role sheet and review the information it contains.
• Explain that during this session, everyone will have a chance to practice being a Discussion Director.
• Ask students to recall how you recorded information on the  Discussion Director role sheet during the previous session in order to establish the expectations for this session.
• Read Chapter 2 of the text together.
• Working in the Discussion Director Role, have students pause during the reading to add details to their copies of the Discussion Director role sheet; or complete the Discussion Director role sheet after the reading is complete.
• After the chapter has been read, have students re-read the questions on the  Discussion Director role sheet and make any revisions.
• Arrange the class in small groups of 4-6 students each. These groups are simply for practice, so they can be formed informally if desired.
• Explain that each group member will serve as the Discussion Director for about 5 minutes.
• To make sure the process runs smoothly, have group members arrange turn-taking by deciding who will go first, second, third, and so forth.
• Have the first Discussion Director begin discussion. Watch the time so that you can cue students to change roles. Provide support and feedback as appropriate.
• After 5 minutes have passed, ask the second person take over as Discussion Director.
• Repeat this process until everyone in the class has had a chance to practice the Discussion Director role.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make any additional observations about how the Discussion Director role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Four

• Explain that during this session, you will act as the Vocabulary Enricher to demonstrate how to do the task.
• clarifies word meanings and pronunciations
• uses research resources
• Point out the classroom dictionaries and other resources students can use as they serve in this role.
• Pass out copies of the Vocabulary Enricher role sheet and preview the information it contains.
• Read Chapter 3 of the text together.
• Demonstrating the Vocabulary Enricher Role, pause during the reading, as appropriate, to add details to the Vocabulary Enricher role sheet; or complete the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet after the reading is complete.
• Re-read the questions on the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet and make any revisions.
• Demonstrate how the Vocabulary Enricher would use the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet to participate in the discussion.
• Allow time to discuss the chapter freely in order to show how discussion of questions and ideas that are not on the sheet is also appropriate.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make observations about how the Vocabulary Enricher role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Five

• Have students get out copies of the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet and review the information it contains.
• Remind students of the classroom dictionaries and other resources they can use as they serve in this role.
• Explain that during this session, everyone will have a chance to practice being a Vocabulary Enricher.
• Ask students to recall how you recorded information on the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet during the previous session in order to establish the expectations for this session.
• Read Chapter 4 of the text together.
• Working in the Vocabulary Enricher Role, have students pause during the reading to add details to their copies of the Vocabulary Enricher role sheet; or complete the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet after the reading is complete.
• After the chapter has been read, have students re-read the questions on the  Vocabulary Enricher role sheet and make any revisions.
• Explain that each group member will serve as the Vocabulary Enricher for about 5 minutes.
• Have the first Vocabulary Enricher begin discussion. Watch the time so that you can cue students to change roles. Provide support and feedback as appropriate.
• After 5 minutes have passed, ask the second person take over as Vocabulary Enricher.
• Repeat this process until everyone in the class has had a chance to practice the Vocabulary Enricher role.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make any additional observations about how the Vocabulary Enricher role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Six

• Explain that during this session, you will act as the Literary Luminary to demonstrate how to do the task.
• guides oral reading for a purpose
• examines figurative language, parts of speech, and vivid descriptions
• Pass out copies of the Literary Luminary role sheet and preview the information it contains.
• Read Chapter 5 of the text together.
• Demonstrating the Literary Luminary Role, pause during the reading, as appropriate, to add details to the Literary Luminary role sheet; or complete the  Literary Luminary role sheet after the reading is complete.
• Re-read the questions on the  Literary Luminary role sheet and make any revisions.
• Demonstrate how the Literary Luminary would use the  Literary Luminary role sheet to participate in the discussion.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make observations about how the Literary Luminary role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Seven

• Have students get out copies of the  Literary Luminary role sheet and review the information it contains.
• Explain that during this session, everyone will have a chance to practice being a Literary Luminary.
• Ask students to recall how you recorded information on the  Literary Luminary role sheet during the previous session in order to establish the expectations for this session.
• Read Chapter 6 of the text together.
• Working in the Literary Luminary Role, have students pause during the reading to add details to their copies of the Literary Luminary role sheet; or complete the  Literary Luminary role sheet after the reading is complete.
• After the chapter has been read, have students re-read the questions on the  Literary Luminary role sheet and make any revisions.
• Explain that each group member will serve as the Literary Luminary for about 5 minutes.
• Have the first Literary Luminary begin discussion. Watch the time so that you can cue students to change roles. Provide support and feedback as appropriate.
• After 5 minutes have passed, ask the second person take over as Literary Luminary.
• Repeat this process until everyone in the class has had a chance to practice the Literary Luminary role.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make any additional observations about how the Literary Luminary role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Eight

• Explain that during this session, you will act as the Checker to demonstrate how to do the task.
• checks for completion of assignments
• evaluates participation
• helps monitor discussion for equal participation
• Pass out copies of the Checker role sheet and preview the information it contains.
• Pass out copies of the other three role sheets: Discussion Director , Vocabulary Enricher , and Literary Luminary . Every student should have one sheet, but they will not all have the same sheet.
• Explain that for you to have information to record on the Checker role sheet, you need students in the class to take on the other roles.
• Read Chapter 7 of the text together.
• Pause during the reading, as appropriate, to allow students to add details to the different role sheets that they have; or have students complete the different role sheets after the reading is complete.
• When the chapter is finished, have students re-read the questions on their role sheets and make any revisions.
• Ask student volunteers to lead the class in discussion, serving in the role that they have prepared for.
• As students complete their role, demonstrate how the Checker would use the  Checker role sheet to participate in the discussion. To include students more in the assessment, you might ask class members to talk about the work that each student volunteer does.
• Take advantage of the opportunity to talk about positive, constructive feedback and to warn against mean or bullying comments.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make observations about how the Checker role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.

Session Nine

• Choose 6 or more students to participate as example literature circle groups. Select students who understand each of the roles that they are to complete well, and who will be able to understand the Checker role without as much practice as the rest of the class will have. You can ask for volunteers to serve these roles, but be sure that you choose volunteers who are confident about their ability to serve in the roles.
• Arrange the student volunteers in two small groups of model literature circles. Groups will switch after 5 minutes so that everyone in the classroom can practice the Checker role.
• Give the student volunteers copies of the the relevant role sheets: Discussion Director , Vocabulary Enricher , and Literary Luminary .
• Have students get out copies of the  Checker role sheet and review the information it contains.
• Explain that during this session, everyone will have a chance to practice being a Checker.
• Ask students to recall how you recorded information on the  Checker role sheet during the previous session in order to establish the expectations for this session.
• Read Chapter 8 of the text together.
• Pause during the reading, as appropriate, to allow student volunteers to add details to the different role sheets that they have; or have students complete the different role sheets after the reading is complete.
• When the chapter is finished, have student volunteers re-read the questions on their role sheets and make any revisions.
• Ask student volunteers to complete a literature circle discussion of the chapter for other students to observe, serving in the role that they have prepared for. If desired, you might allow students to be creative and perform at levels other than their best work. For instance, one student volunteer might participate as an uncooperative group member or as a member who has not read the text.
• As students complete their role, have class members use the  Checker role sheet to record details on the discussion. To include students more in the assessment, you might ask class members to talk about the work that each student volunteer does.
• After 5 minutes have passed, have the example discussion group switch so that the second group takes over.
• Repeat the discussion process with the remaining students in the class taking on the Checker role.
• Once the second round of checking is complete, have students share observations and discuss the feedback they have recorded on the Checker role sheet.
• Again, reinforce positive, constructive feedback and comments.
• After discussion is complete, ask students to make any additional observations about how the Checker role works. Answer any questions that they have about the role.
• If there are remaining issues on the chapter that students want to discuss, be sure to allow time for this exploration as well.
• Explain that during following class sessions, students will work in literature circles independently.
• If the text students have read is complete, explain that students will begin a new book during the next session. If chapters remain, explain that groups will continue reading the text during the next session.

Session Ten

• If students are beginning new books, share basic details about the available texts and have students choose the books that they want to read.
• Arrange students in literature circle groups, based on book choice if students are beginning new texts, or based on similar interests or mixed abilities if the class is continuing with the text used for demonstration.
• Give each group copies of the  Literature Circle Roles sheets, and ask students to choose the roles that they will complete for this session.
• Answer any questions, and then have students begin the reading and discussion process.
• As students work, circulate among the groups taking anecdotal data about their work and providing any support or feedback on the Literature Circle Roles . Remember that this is a student-centered discussion process, so take the role of a facilitator during these sessions, rather than that of a group member or instructor.
• At the end of the session, have groups rotate the literature circle roles.

Following Sessions

• Have students continue the process of reading the texts and rotating the literature circle roles until the books are complete.
• Provide some structural scheduling so that students know how much reading and work they should accomplish during each literature circle meeting.
• When books are finished, set aside a day for groups to share information about their reading, and then form new groups around new reading choices.
• Before students move on to a new book, have them complete the Self-Reflection Worksheet or use the Online Self-Reflection Checklist . When students begin the next book, ask them to use this self-reflection to think about how they participate with their new literature circle groups.
• Once students understand the basics of literature circles, try the ReadWriteThink lesson Literature Circle Roles Reframed: Reading as a Film Crew , which substitutes film production roles for the traditional literature circle roles.
• Ask Vocabulary Enrichers to choose 2-3 words from the reading and create pages for the words using the Alphabet Organizer . Groups can compile all pages created using the tool to compose a focused dictionary for the text. The dictionary might be shelved in the classroom library with the specific book students have read, so that others in the classroom can use the resource.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• As students work, take notes on their participation and engagement. Remember that discussion topics should grow naturally from students’ interests and connections to the text. Their group meetings should be open, natural conversations about books. Personal connections, digressions, and open-ended questions are welcome.
• Provide feedback to individual students in conferences and interviews. Base feedback on the feedback indicated on the Checker Role Sheets completed during the literature circle sessions as well as on your own observations. Suggest ways that students can improve their participation in the groups, pointing to the different role sheets that they have completed and relying on your anecdotal notes. Make connections to the Self-Reflection Worksheet or Online Self-Reflection Checklist that students complete when they finish the books. Encourage students to brainstorm strategies they can try in future literature circle meetings to improve their participation.
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How to Create a Classroom Literature Circle

This book-discussion method is simple to set up in class but requires preparation and flexibility.

This how-to article accompanies the feature " Classroom Literature Circles Expand Thought ."

Teachers who want to try out literature circles need to know one thing -- no two circles look the same.

"It's an approach that's so different in every classroom," says Katherine L. Schlick Noe, an education professor at Seattle University who has written extensively about literature circles. "So many people use them in different ways."

The keys to success are simplicity and adaptability. And although it might seem that the most logical subjects in which to use literature circles are those heavy in reading, such as language arts, history, and English, they can be used in other subjects. A high school science teacher in North Carolina, for example, uses literature circles to help her students understand complex scientific terms.

Noe advises teachers to give students one thing to think about and put the emphasis on the conversation, starting with a five- or ten-minute discussion. Teachers can set up the circles so that each group meets one at a time, with the teacher sitting in, or so that all the circles meet at once, and the teacher circulates among them.

A common mistake is for teachers to give students too much to do, such as a long list of questions or complicated projects. Their energy then goes into the tasks rather than delving deeply into the books, Noe explains. She suggests students use Post-it notes to mark passages or pages they want to discuss, or write down a quote or a thought as they're reading to prepare them for the circle discussion.

Here are a few tips:

• Offer students a choice. Sixth-grade teacher Alisa Gladstone says letting her students pick a book, a theme, and a project gives even the most reluctant reader a vested interest in the material.
• Don't dominate the discussion. Part of the fun is seeing where the students go in the circle. Teachers should observe, offer feedback, and gently guide things back on track when necessary, but they should not micromanage.
• Encourage reflection. After the students finish their circle, have them write about what they thought of the discussion. For younger students, it can be a few sentences. For older students, it can be a stream-of-consciousness-style journal entry.
• Assign a project. Many teachers have their students do projects at the end of the book discussion. This is an especially effective way for the nonverbal students to express themselves, Noe says. Some of Gladstone's students did maps, acrostic poems, and timelines. First-grade teacher Jennifer McFarland's students have done puppet shows, dioramas, and a story quilt.
• Be aware of common pitfalls. Students who read too far ahead and give away the ending, students who are unprepared, and discussions that go too far off track can derail a literature circle. McFarland talks to parents at the beginning of the school year about making sure their children don't read beyond the assignment.

Get Around to Circles

To get more information on literature circles and additional tips on getting started, check out these Web resources:

• The Literature Circles Resource Center provides examples from teachers of different methods, resources for doing theme units, and suggestions for how to choose books and projects.
• This video from Carol Morgan School, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, shows a literature circle in action.
• Teacher Jennifer McFarland's classroom Web page includes examples of literature-circle projects.
• LiteratureCircles.com includes reviews of books that work well in literature circles.

Alexandra R. Moses is a freelance writer in the Washington, DC, area who specializes in education.

• Effective Teaching Strategies

Reading Circles Get Students to Do the Reading

• March 27, 2014

In my course, the required reading is intensive and extensive. Students must read multiple texts that range across disciplines, genres, history, and culture. The goal of this interdisciplinary course is improvement of critical reading, writing, and thinking skills. My students, like many others, live complicated lives. Add to that the fact that many are not particularly good readers or people who like to read, and the result is students arriving in class not having done the reading. When that happens, the teacher becomes the best student in the room. She talks about the text while students dutifully listen—or appear to listen.

The findings from the reading compliance research have remained consistent over the years. Hobson reports (in IDEA Paper No. 40, published by Kansas State University) that on any given day and for any given assignment, 20 to 30 percent of the students have done the reading. He writes, “Faculty face the stark and depressing challenge of facilitating learning when over 70% of the students will not have read the assigned readings.” When students don’t do the reading, they hear about the text, but they do not actually experience it or do anything that develops their reading skills.

Given these realities, I decided to revisit Literature Circles, first introduced in the mid-1990s by Harvey Daniels for grades 3 through 8 in Chicago and described as small, peer-led discussion groups whose members have chosen to read the same text. Basic educators have found them enormously successful. I wondered whether they might work in my undergraduate course. Since not all the reading in my course is literature, I decided to call them Reading Circles.

I told my students that the success of their Reading Circle depended on two things: everyone coming prepared by having read the assignment and everyone participating. In my humanities course, the four texts are traditionally chosen by the teacher, but wanting to be student-centered, I decided to let the students choose two of the texts. Annotated bibliographies were distributed early to help students make informed choices. I formed the groups based on their choice of text. In some cases, two groups needed to be formed, as I limited group size to six, given the roles I wanted students to fill in the groups:

• Discussion director, whose job was to keep the group on task, help the group understand the reading, ask good detail questions as well as general questions, listen intently to the group members and respond to ideas, and make sure everyone participates.
• Summarizer, who presents a brief, concise summary of the day’s reading, places everything in chronological order, and is able to answer any clarifying questions.
• Illustrator, who uses details from the text to help group members better understand the reading and selects significant elements that make connections to course themes.
• Literary luminary, who selects quotes that are especially significant, descriptive, or controversial; makes an interesting or engaging plan to have group look at particular passages; and is able to explain the significance of passages.
• Connector, who makes strong detailed connections cross-textually, historically, and culturally to the notion of what it means to be human and engages other group members in making similar connections.
• Questioner, who uses a mixture of various levels of questions to engage group members and engages the group with critical thinking of the issues and course themes.

I gave students the rubric I used when evaluating how well they filled their roles. When I joined a Reading Circle I did so as an observer and guide, not as a teacher or participant. Each circle made a 20-minute presentation of one significant aspect of their text in any way they chose. There have been dialogues, interviews, plays, speeches, and debates. The structure of the activity can be adapted to fit a variety of reading assignments.

After a semester of using this technique, overwhelmingly my students reported that the activity “greatly impacted” their learning. On average, with four sections students self-reported their reading compliance rate to be 38 percent in an ESL section and 55 percent in my three other sections. After the activity, students reported a rise to 66 percent in compliance in the ESL section and 85 percent on average in the other sections.

Reading Circles empower students by letting them choose what they read. The assigned roles give them a purpose to read. They gain self-confidence as they learn to be responsible for their learning. Their reading skills develop. They have experience presenting their ideas. And they discover the joy of working with others to understand textual material. For me, observing the students at work in these groups was immensely satisfying. My students were in class having done the reading.

Jane Gee teaches at Temple University, College of Liberal Arts.

Reprinted from The Teaching Professor , 27.1 (2013): 6. © Magna Publications

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Reading Circles

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What is a reading circle?

A reading circle is a classroom instructional strategy that groups small, heterogeneous groups of students together and connects all aspects of literacy (Anderson & Corbett, 2008). Following the reading of one or more chapters in a book (or other reading materials), students gather in a circle to collaboratively discuss and critique what they have read (IRDP, n.d.).

Due to the fact that students at various reading levels and with various interests can be grouped together for this activity, reading circles can be especially useful in inclusive classrooms . Reading circles are often referred to as: literature circles, literature response groups, literature study circles, literacy circles, peer-led literature groups, and book clubs (Anderson & Corbett, 2008).

Reading circles can be used to reinforce listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a supportive and collaborative setting (Anderson & Corbett). They encourage students to deepen their understanding of a chosen text, as students are encouraged to discuss plots, specific language used, and personal experiences, and their relation to the text (Cumming-Potwin, 2007).

Reading circles become a more valuable learning experience for students when they are fully student led as it empowers students in their learning and provides them with some autonomy in the classroom, and this type of learning opportunity allows students to feel empowered and supported by their peers , particularly when they are assigned a specific role to play (which are outlined below) in the reading circle (Burns, 1998).

Why are reading circles an effective strategy for students with LDs?

Reading circles can be used in a variety of settings, from elementary to secondary classrooms, from general to special education classrooms, and with any and all students. According to Anderson & Corbett, research has also demonstrated that this strategy can be effective for students with learning disabilities (LDs), as well as for students with general challenges with reading achievement (p. 25).

Reading circles are an effective strategy to use not only with students with reading disabilities , but also with any student with reading difficulties. Grouping students together heterogeneously allows students with difficulties to learn from their peers ; not only from the ideas that are shared, but also from the literacy strategies that these students use through all of their stages of learning. This strategy also helps struggling students to see themselves as autonomous readers and to develop more positive feelings about their abilities (Hébert, 2009).

As many who teach students who struggle with reading are aware, reading aloud is something that is extremely difficult for students with reading disabilities or difficulties and can cause some students to become anxious. By using the reading circle strategy, educators give students the opportunity to access texts in any format required to read the selected material  before  discussions about the text begin. This means that a student can use text-to-speech software to access the text and can then participate verbally during the reading circle itself (Anderson & Corbett, 26).

How do I implement reading circles in my classroom?

There are many different ideas as to how reading circles can be implemented in the classroom, but here is one specific method presented by Anderson & Corbett, as well as some tips for how to ensure their efficacy:

Step 1: Author & Book Selection

• Give students a choice of books and/or authors to select from. Giving students this choice will allow them to choose a literary work that speaks to their interests and will engage students from the beginning of the activity.
• It may be helpful to have students choose from a series of books all by the same author , or for more senior students, give them more selection.
• Providing students with background information about the books and authors is something that can help them to make their choice.
• Particularly with larger classes, students may be required to choose their top three books, in order to ensure that there are approximately equal numbers of students in each group. Teachers can then assign students to groups as fairly as possible.

Click here for a downloadable ballot that can be used for students to rank their book choices.

Step 2: Reading Circle Role Selection & Modeling

There are an astounding number of roles which can be implemented in reading circles, but four specific roles have been identified as essential:

• Connector – connects the reading material to everyday experiences
• Questioner – analyzes the text through questioning
• Literary Luminary – highlights particularly important parts of the text
• Illustrator – responds graphically to the text

The above are simply those recommended in the literature as essential, but educators can use this as a guide and can add, remove, or divide roles according to their classroom needs.

Other optional roles include:

• Summarizer – recaps the key points, main highlights, and general idea of the text
• Travel Tracer – tracks where the action takes place in the text and describes each setting in detail
• Word Wizard – identifies and defines words with special meaning in the text
• Researcher – finds background information on a topic related to the text

Educators will need to model each role as students may be unfamiliar with their tasks. Particularly for students with LDs, explicit instruction may be essential.

Click here for descriptions of a number of roles that can be assigned to students in reading circles.

Step 3: Assigning & Supporting Reading

• Decide on a suitable amount of reading to assign to students, and whether or not time will be given in class to complete the reading.
• Ensure that all students are able to access their texts in a manner that suits their learning needs, whether it is using a hard copy of a book, using a screen reader, or listening to the audiobook (whether this is created by the teacher themselves or is commercially available).

Step 4: Taking the Learning Further

At this point, educators need to decide how they will encourage students to take their learning further. In this particular article, the authors recommend using role sheets and role expansion activities to assign specific tasks to students.

Below are some examples of how this may occur for each role:

• Connector – for a scene that demonstrates how the protagonist has to show bravery to overcome their fears, the Connector could be asked to lead a discussion on how students in the group have had to be brave in a specific situation
• Questioner – may be asked to question a specific practice outlined in the book, for example freedom of the press. The questioner could then lead a discussion within the group about what might happen in Canada if freedom of the press was not permitted.
• Literary Luminary – during a reading of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act I, Scene III), Polonius says to his son Laertes “This above all: to thine own self be true”. Have the literary luminary highlight this as an important quote in the play and ask the student to lead a discussion where all students reflect on this statement and its importance.
• Illustrator – after reading a specific passage to the group, the illustrator displays a visual image they have created which reflects what is read. They should then explain to the group why they chose to make certain inclusions and omissions and open the illustration up for group discussion

Educators can then have students extend these activities to include personal reflections which can be evaluated, or they can summarize their thoughts in reading journals.

Step 5: Assessment

Educators can incorporate various types of assessment into reading circles, such as:

Examples of assessment for learning:

• provide students with descriptive feedback to their extension activities; this also offers educators the opportunity to give informal feedback on anything that was overheard during the reading circle discussions
• as educators circulate through the classroom during reading circle discussions, ask open-ended questions to encourage students to express their thoughts and ideas
• give groups and individuals specific informal feedback based on the conversations you hear in the reading circles

Examples of assessment as learning:

• encourage students to self-assess by providing them with rubrics to assess their learning or their peers’ in the reading circles

Examples of assessment of learning:

• following the completion of specific sections of the book, give students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning , either independently or as a group
• give students choice in how they will demonstrate their learning by providing them with a list of acceptable assessment activities (p. 26-27)

Click here for a sample rubric to assess literature circle roles from TVOntario and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

General tips:

• Allow students choice wherever and whenever appropriate
• Ensure that a student acts as a group facilitator, and not the teacher
• Encourage students with LDs to try different roles as they become more comfortable with the activity, starting with those roles which allow them to focus on their skills as learners first
• Teach specific literacy strategies explicitly where appropriate

This activity offers educators many opportunities for variations and to adapt the strategy to suit their own needs. For example, educators who enjoy using technology in their classrooms can allow students to use apps to complete their specific tasks in the reading circles. Educators could also use this strategy online in a protected forum, so long as they are careful to ensure that students are responding to each other and not only to any comments left by the teacher themselves (Cumming-Potvin, p. 489).

For students with difficulties in social situations (including students with LDs), educators can incorporate specific social skill instruction into their application of reading circles (Anderson & Corbett, 26). For example, with younger students, they may model how to effectively take turns and ensure that everyone in the circle is given the opportunity to speak in turn.

Reading circles are a fun way to involve all of the students in your classroom. As the facilitator of the reading circles, be creative and open to hearing students’ ideas, watch them become more confident and witness a more supportive classroom environment emerge!

Related Resources on the LD@school Website

Click here to access the article Direct Instruction of Reading for Elementary-aged Students .

Click here to access the article Self-Assessment .

Click here to access the article Improving Reading Fluency: Which Interventions are Most Effective? .

Additional Resources

Laura Candler’s website has created a number of free printable and downloadable resources that can be used with the reading circle strategy.

Click here to access resources including question cards, before and after evaluation forms, and much more!

Click here for information and ideas about how to use reading circles with primary students.

Click here for a users’ guide from eworkshop.on.ca which outlines how to implement the strategy in the classroom.

Anderson, P. & Corbett, L. (2008). Literature Circles for Students with Learning Disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic , 44(1), 25-33.

Burns, B. (1998). Changing the Classroom Climate with Literature Circles. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42 , 124-129.

Cummin-Potwin, W. (2007). Scaffolding, Multiliteracies, and Reading Circles. Canadian Journal of Education , 30(2), 483-507.

Hébert, H. (2009). Cercles littéraires et journal de lecture comme éléments d’intervention en didactique de la littérature : étude de cas d’un élève de 8 e année en difficulté. Revue du Nouvel-Ontario , 34, 83-117.

Institut de recherché et de documentation pédagogique (IRDP). (n.d.). Apprentissage de la lecture : pour un apprentissage de la lecture tout au long de la scolarité . Repéré à https://www.irdp.ch/data/secure/1677/document/expo_lecture_web1.pdf

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Literature Circles

• Posted November 12, 2021
• By Emily Boudreau
• Language and Literacy Development
• Teachers and Teaching

When you find yourself reading a good book, whether you’re on the edge of your seat wondering what a character will do next or amazed by the poetry of a descriptive passage, you probably want to share what you’ve read with someone — not write a book report or build a diorama, as students are often asked to do. 

“There’s an excitement around sharing words,” says Harvard Graduate School of Education senior lecturer and Jeanne Chall Reading Lab director Pamela Mason , whose work and research focuses on developing culturally responsive and effective  literacy and reading instructional practices. “Children have a right to those experiences, and they want those types of experiences. That’s what makes learning fun and engages them in school.”

So how can educators encourage natural discussion and enthusiasm for books in the classroom while also ensuring students understand what they’re reading and continue to grow as readers?

Why Literature Circles?

Literature circles — a small group of students that gathers to discuss a book, much like a book club — are not a new idea , and in fact, remain quite popular because they are incredibly effective . Indeed, many studies of developing reading comprehension, including those by Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Catherine Snow , have emphasized the positive impact of having kids talk about what they read.

Talking about reading also helps build a classroom culture around books. “It’s motivating,” says Mason. “We’ve found from the research that, regardless of what you read, the more you read, the better you get. And the better you get, the more you like it. The more you like it, you feel competent at it, and it’s this virtuous cycle . [Reading becomes] something I do, that my friends do.” 

“There’s an excitement around sharing words. Children have a right to those experiences, and they want those types of experiences. That’s what makes learning fun and engages them in school.” 

Those conversations allow readers to hone their critical thinking skills. They might think about the decisions a character makes or whether they agree with something a classmate has said as they make connections between the book and themselves, other books they’ve read, or something they’ve seen on the news or heard about in their communities.

Using Literature Circles Successfully

Mason has a few ideas to make them more successful and to help educators overcome common hiccups, like differentiating appropriately and avoiding overly teacher-led conversations, when implementing literature circles.

THE PROBLEM:  

Balancing reading requirements with student choice. Students devour the latest Percy Jackson book but are less enthusiastic about picking up their assigned reading from The Odyssey.

From required summer reading lists to being told a book is too difficult or too easy, school-age children aren’t always given a choice when selecting reading material. Yet according to Mason, choice is essential. It’s part of what makes reading fun for adults and that needs to be extended to children as well. With so many choices, including graphic novels and e-books, teachers can have children reading the same book or following the same storyline in different media.

It’s also important to think about whether the text students are reading reflects their backgrounds and interests. “Think about the texts you’re offering — are they varied in terms of content, representation of characters, and settings that represent the learners in your classroom? Are they multilingual?” says Mason.

THE PROBLEM: 

Students have a wide variety of strengths and weaknesses as readers, yet you want to avoid stigmatizing students based on their assessed reading level.

Mix up the reading groups so they aren’t always based on assessed reading levels. It can be important to have students read texts that are accessible and to do so alongside readers who can also access those books. However, there are other factors to take into consideration. “Teachers can give students a test and a score — but that score doesn’t measure motivation, doesn’t measure background knowledge, or the type of text a learner might be able to access because of those knowledges,” says Mason. Nonfiction texts can also be used in literature circles — consider mixing up the groups and allowing students to choose their literature circle based on a shared topic of interest.

Mason also notes that readers don’t always need to be challenged. Given the right kind of framing or thought-provoking questions, a simple text can still hone a reader’s skills . For example, asking high schoolers to revisit some of their favorite picture books from childhood and to think critically about how they absorbed that message can be powerful. For example, what does Where the Wild Things Are say about anger?

“We’ve found from the research that, regardless of what you read, the more you read, the better you get. And the better you get, the more you like it. The more you like it, you feel competent at it, and it’s this virtuous cycle.” 

THE PROBLEM

Students look to the teacher after answering questions, rather than turning to each other.

Evaluate how you model discussions in your classroom. Do the students respond to each other? Or does one student respond and then you speak to the next student? Try calling students in to the discussion by asking if they have something to add. Also, ask them what they think of what another student has said. Taking turns, stepping back and allowing someone else to talk, being curious and not judgmental, and perspective-taking should be part of community agreements in the classroom and modeled in all subject areas.

Students struggle to stay on-task in small groups or give one-word answers to discussion questions. Maybe some students aren’t as involved in the conversation as others.

Typically, literature circles include assigning roles to students. While these roles can become stagnant and rigid in some circumstances, they can be a great way to add structure and coax reluctant participants into contributing. Some examples of roles include a student who is making connections, finding a passage that strikes them, or illustrating a scene. Mason recommends, though, that students rotate roles so all learners can gain experience contributing in a different way and, once the discussion starts to flow regularly, phasing out the roles.

Tips from a Teacher

Robin Loewald, a 2019 master’s graduate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, works as a high school English teacher in Melrose, Massachusetts. Here, she provides a few key takeaways on how she’s used literature circles.

• “My biggest role as an educator is to create a space and structure for a discussion to be successful,” says Loewald. To do that, she dedicates time early in the year to establish expectations and set the tone . “We play a lot of games, things like rock, paper, scissor tournaments, so kids get to know each other and are comfortable using each other’s names. This makes them more comfortable talking about things that are important or serious later on.”
• She’s also found that literature circles can be a powerful way to connect students , even during remote learning. Letting students choose the book is also important and can promote engagement. “Even in remote spaces, when they’re talking about a book they care about, you can feel the investment, emotion, and pride in their conversations.”
• Use the opportunity to tackle difficult subjects. Loewald lead a voluntary book club over the summer because students expressed a desire to talk about race. “It helps students feel like they’re able to engage in a conversation that can be challenging. [The book] gives them a reference point and a shared vocabulary to talk about really important things.”

Additional Resources

• Read this UK story on how to bring controversial books into the classroom.
• An Ed. magazine story on how to teach reading.
• Listen to an EdCast with Professor James Kim, Beyond the Literacy Debate.
• Read an essay by Loewald in Ed. magazine on teaching virtually.

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The Most Beautiful Stations on the Moscow Metro

You might have heard that there are some beautiful metro stations in Moscow. Soviet decorations, chandeliers, mosaic painting and statues are common in many of the stations. The good news is that the Moscow Metro does not cost a lot of money and many of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro are on the same line, so you can almost get on and off at each station to visit these. Over the New Year holidays, I had a free afternoon and decided to visit some of these stations. Check out what I found below…..

The main stations that you will want to visit are on the Number 5 line, also known as the Circle Line. An advantage of this line is that you can get to it very easily and quickly no matter where you are in Moscow. The announcements on the metro are in Russian as well as English so you don’t need to worry if your Russian language skills are not good.

If, like me, you arrive in Moscow via train from Kyiv , then you will arrive at a metro station which many Muscovites believe to be the most beautiful of them all…..

Kievskaya metro station was opened in 1954 and features white marble walls which curve upwards and have with large mosaics surrounded by a gold trim in a very classical style. The mosaics depict life in Ukraine and was designed by a Ukrainian who wanted to display Ukraine’s influence and contribution to Soviet Russia.

Kievskaya, one of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro

Soviet era artwork between the arches

Mosaic with golden trim

People carrying flags is a common theme

Going into battle

Belorusskaya

If you look at a map of the metro , you will want to go in a clockwise direction on the circle line. So you will want to get on the train going in the Barrikadnaya direction and not Park Kultury. Stay on this line until you reach the 2nd station, Belorusskaya. This station was built in 1952 and like Kievskaya also features white marble pylons and a plaster ceiling.

The ceiling features 12 mosaics in an octagonal shape depicting Belarusian life, while the tiling on the floor is said to resemble a Belarusian quilt. One of the passageway exits of the station has a statue called ‘Belarusian Partisans’ of three men wearing long coats, holding guns and carrying a flag.”

Belorusskaya metro platform

Soviet artwork on the roof

The hammer and sickle features prominently in the metro artwork

Three men carrying guns, holding the flag…

Mayakovskaya

To get to the next station, we need to change onto the green line (line 2) and go just one stop to the station of Mayakovskaya. This station has an art deco theme and, for some, resembles an elaborate ballroom. The columns are faced with stainless steel and pink rhodonite while the marble walls and ceiling have 34 mosaics with the theme “24-hour Soviet Sky. Apparently, Stalin resided here during the 2nd World War as the station was used as a command post for Moscow’s anti-aircraft regiment.

Mayakovskaya metro

24-Hour Soviet Sky mosaic

Bomber planes

It looks like planes flying over Red Square

Novoslobodskaya

It’s time to get back on the metro and return to Belorusskaya. At Belorusskaya, change to the circle line again and continue clockwise to the next station, Novoslobodskaya. With its 32 stained glass panels, this station reminds me of a church. The panels were designed by Latvian artists and are surrounded by a brass border.

Novoslobodskaya metro

The platform of Novoslobodskaya metro

Stained glass artwork

The golden trim around artwork is also very common

Prospekt Mira

Back on the metro and again just one stop until our next station, Prospekt Mira. This station was originally called Botanichesky Sad after the nearby Botanical Gardens of the Moscow State University. The pylons are covered in white marble and decorated with floral bas-relief friezes. The ceiling is decorated with casts and several cylindrical chandeliers.

Prospekt Mira metro station

Notice the floral decoration

Komsomolskaya

On the metro once more and once more we are going just one stop to the next station – Komsomolskaya. This station is famous for its its yellow ceiling. The chandeliers in this station are huge. The photos below do not do this station justice.  For me, this station resembles a presidential palace.  You hace to see it for yourself to truly appreciate it.

Because of it’s location, this is one of the busiest stations in the Moscow metro as it serves three of the main train stations in the city – Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky so be prepared for a lot of people.

Komsomolskaya metro

The yellow ceiling seems to go on forever

Yellow ceiling and artwork

One of the ceiling mosaics

Elektrozavodskaya

When you are ready to leave Komsomolskaya metro station behind, then get back on the circle line and go one stop to Kurskaya and change to the blue line (line 3) and go to two stops to the Elektrozavodskaya station. This station gets it’s name from a nearby electric light bulb factory and has a somewhat industrial but also futuristic style, with 6 rows of circular lamps (there are 318 lamps in total). I think this is one of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro for how unique it is. The station was opened in 1944 after a delay because of the 2nd World War and features 12 marble bas-reliefs of the struggle on the home front during the war.

The Komsomolskaya metro station

The struggles of war at home

Fixing machinery

Hard at work

Making weapons

Building a tank

Even the station sign is elaborate

Ploschad Revolyutsii

Back on the metro line 3 (but in the other direction), getting off at the 3rd stop – Ploschad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). This is located underneath the square in Moscow of the same name and is a short walk from Red Square in the city centre. It is the perfect place to end a visit around Moscow’s metro. The station features red and yellow marble arches with a total of 76 sculptures in between each arch. The sculptures are supposed to represent the people of the Soviet Union and include soldiers, farmers, industrial workers, children etc… I noticed a lot of people touching the golden chicken in the photo below as well as the show of the woman. I am assuming that this is for good luck.

Industrial worker

Touch the chicken for good luck

Sculpture of the people of the Soviet Union

Woman reading a book – touch the shoe for good luck

In education

Parent and child

These are some of what I think are the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro. Which ones are your favourite? Would you add any to this list?

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19 comments.

Kievskaya definitely caught me off guard. Didn’t know Moscow metro stations were THIS extravagant! Mayakovskaya is gorgeous too with the marble walls and mosaics. I might just need to book a flight over to admire all of these!

Do it! Kievskaya was my first introduction to the Moscow metro as I got an overnight train from Kyiv.

You know, in the States, all we ever hear is bad stuff about Russia. It’s nice to see other (and lovely!) dimensions of such a controversial place.

It’s the same in the UK which is why I prefer going to see somewhere and making up my own mind. It’s all ‘politics and bullshit’ as I say

I went to Moscow about 13years for Christmas and went to train stations, so I can see these amazing mosaics and chandeliers. I agree with you that are beautiful Stations for sure and I could of wandered around for days. I think Kievskaya is definitely my favourite out of them all and I even have some similar pictures as you.

I imagine Moscow would have been a little different 13 years ago but these stations have probably always looked beautiful

Food and Footprints

You chose some great stations for this write up! Beautiful details in these stations and would love to visit them sometime. Particularly like the Komsomolskaya station with that yellow ceiling!

Thank you very much. Komsomolskaya seems to be a lot of peoples favourite stations too

Sumit Surai

Wow! Without the text I would have thought them to be some museum or gallery.

I know exactly what you mean!

Rosie Fluskey

Wow, it is just stunning! How does anyone get to work with so much to look at. I’m surprised at the very bourgeois-looking Komsomolskaya station. I would have thought it was all too Tzarist looking, but then I haven’t been to Russia yet lol. This has just made me want to go more!

Wow, that’s a lot of artwork. I wonder how old some of these pieces are?

Generally most of the stations are from 1940-1960 approximately. The later stations are more functional than style.

My mother-in-law was in Moscow fifty years ago and still raves about the metro stations. So far, I could not imagine much. But now! The pictures are great and I think it’s almost a pity that this splendor is underground. But for every user of the Metro can enjoy a free trip to the world of art. Susanne

True. It is like having a free trip to an art museum/gallery. I hope that you can one day visit Moscow and see for yourself.

Oh wow, I would never have known that these were metro stations. The ceilings remind me of how you need to look up sometimes, even in the commuter rush!

It is true about life in general, we just go from A to B looking directly in front of us instead of around us

Wow, I would have never guessed that these were stations. The decor is so pretty and not one I’m used to seeing at metro stations. Love the ceiling at The Komsomolskaya metro station.

They certainly don’t look like metro stations. The ceiling there is one of my favourites too!

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Moscow concert hall attack: Why is ISIL targeting Russia?

Deadly attack in Moscow claimed by ISIL affiliate leaves more than 133 people dead and approximately 100 injured.

More than 133 people have been killed and more than 100 others were injured following a brazen attack on concertgoers at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall before a performance by a Soviet-era rock band on Friday.

Assailants dressed in camouflage uniforms opened fire and reportedly threw explosive devices inside the concert venue, which was left in flames with its roof collapsing after the deadly attack.

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At least 115 killed, more than 185 injured in attack on moscow concert hall, more than 130 killed in moscow concert hall attack, ‘heinous, cowardly’: world reacts to attack on moscow concert hall, moscow concert hall attack: what do we know so far.

Eleven people had been detained, including four people directly involved in the armed assault, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.

ISIL’s Afghan branch – also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) – has claimed responsibility for the attack and United States officials have confirmed the authenticity of that claim, according to the Reuters news agency.

Here is what we know about the group and their possible motive for the Moscow attack.

ISIL’s Afghanistan branch

The group remains one of the most active affiliates of ISIL and takes its title from an ancient caliphate in the region that once encompassed areas of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.

The group emerged from eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and was made up of breakaway fighters of the Pakistan Taliban and local fighters who pledged allegiance to the late ISIL leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .

The group has since established a fearsome reputation for acts of brutality.

Murat Aslan, a military analyst and former Turkish army colonel, said ISIL’s Afghanistan affiliate is known for its “radical and tough methodologies”.

“I think their ideology inspires them in terms of selecting targets. First of all, Russia is in Syria and fighting against Daesh [ISIL] like the United States. That means they see such countries as hostile,” Aslan told Al Jazeera.

“They are now in Moscow. Previously they were in Iran, and we will see much more attacks, maybe in other capitals,” he added.

Though its membership in Afghanistan is said to have declined since a peak in about 2018, its fighters still pose one of the greatest threats to the Taliban’s authority in Afghanistan.

Previous attacks by the group

ISKP fighters claimed responsibility for the 2021 attacks outside Kabul airport that left at least 175 civilians dead, killed 13 US soldiers, and many dozens injured.

The ISIL affiliate was previously blamed for carrying out a bloody attack on a maternity ward in Kabul in May 2020 that killed 24 people, including women and infants. In November that same year, the group carried out an attack on Kabul University, killing at least 22 teachers and students.

In September 2022, the group took responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing at the Russian embassy in Kabul.

Last year, Iran blamed the group for two separate attacks on a major shrine in southern Shiraz – the Shah Cheragh – which killed at least 14 people and injured more than 40.

The US claimed that it intercepted communications confirming that the group was preparing to carry out attacks before coordinated suicide bombings in Iran in January this year killed nearly 100 people in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman. ISKP claimed responsibility for the Kerman attacks.

Why is ISIL attacking Russia?

Defence and security analysts say the group has targeted its propaganda at Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years over the alleged oppression of Muslims by Russia.

“Russian foreign policy has been one big red flag for ISIS [ISIL],” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center told Al Jazeera. “The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Russian actions in Chechnya, Moscow’s close relationships with the Syrian and Iranian governments, and especially the military campaigns that Russia has waged against ISIS fighters in Syria and — through Wagner Group mercenaries – in parts of Africa.”

All of that has meant that Moscow has become a focus of ISKP’s “extensive propaganda war,” said Amira Jadoon, assistant professor at Clemson University in South Carolina and co-author of, The Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Strategic Alliances and Rivalries.

“Russia’s engagement in the global fight against ISIS and its affiliates, especially through its military operations in Syria and its efforts to establish connections with the Afghan Taliban – ISIS-K’s rival – marks Russia as a key adversary for ISIS/ISIS-K,” Jadoon told Al Jazeera.

Should the Moscow attack be “definitely attributed” to ISKP, Jadoon said, the group hopes to win support and advance “its goal to evolve into a terrorist organisation with global influence” by demonstrating that it can launch attacks within Russian territory.

“ISK [ISKP] has consistently demonstrated its ambition to evolve into a formidable regional entity … By directing its aggression towards nations such as Iran and Russia, ISK not only confronts regional heavyweights but also underscores its political relevance and operational reach on the global stage,” Jadoon said.

Kabir Taneja, a fellow at the Strategic Studies Programme of the Observer Research Foundation – a think tank based in New Delhi, India – told Al Jazeera that Russia is seen by ISIL and its affiliates as “a crusading power against Muslims”.

“Russia has been a target for ISIS and not just ISKP from the beginning,” Taneja, author of the book, The ISIS Peril, said.

“ISKP attacked [the] Russian embassy in Kabul in 2022, and over the months, Russian security agencies have upped their efforts to clamp down on pro-ISIS ecosystems both in Russia and around its borders, specifically Central Asia and the Caucusus,” he said.

In early March, Russia’s Federal Security Service, better known as the FSB, said it had thwarted an ISIL plan to attack a Moscow synagogue.

“The most compelling current motivation for ISIS-K to attack Russia is the Taliban factor. The Taliban is a bitter rival of ISIS, and ISIS views Russia as a friend of the Taliban,” said Kugelman.

Moscow’s close relations with Israel are also anathema to ISIL’s ideology, Taneja said.

“So this friction is not new ideologically, but is so tactically,” he told Al Jazeera.

There’s another factor, too: Largely away from the world’s attention, the armed group has regrouped into a formidable force after setbacks in Syria and Iran.

“ISKP in Afghanistan has grown in strength significantly … and it’s not just ISKP, ISIS in its original regions of operations, Syria and Iraq, also sees [an] uptick in operational capabilities,” Taneja said. Today, he added, it is “ideologically powerful even if not politically, tactically or strategically … that powerful any more”.

That poses a challenge for a distracted world, he said.

“How to combat this is the big question at a time when big power competition and global geopolitical churn has put counterterrorism on the back burner,” Taneja added.

How has ISIL responded?

ISKP social media channels are “jubilant” following the attack on Moscow, said Abdul Basit, a senior associate fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore.

“They are celebrating the attack,” Basit told Al Jazeera, adding that supporters are “translating and recirculating the responsibility claim” issued by the ISIL-linked Amaq News Agency.

Basit said that ISIL’s method of operations involves amplifying a propaganda campaign in advance of large-scale attacks and this had been observed in recent anti-Russian messaging. Such attacks “add to the credibility” of armed groups, Basit explained, which then “increases the scope of their funding, recruitment and propaganda”.

More attacks are possible in Russia and elsewhere, he added, given the key role that ISIL recruits of Central Asian origin – particularly Tajiks – played when the group held territory in Syria. They have now returned to the Central Asia region and their intent to carry out attacks has now materialised in capability, Basit said.

Previous attacks in Russia

Moscow and other Russian cities have been the targets of previous attacks.

In 2002, Chechen fighters took more than 900 people hostage in a Moscow theatre, the Dubrovka, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya and an end to Russia’s war on the region.

Russian special forces attacked the theatre to end the standoff and 130 people were killed, most suffocated by a gas used by security forces to leave the Chechen fighters unconscious.

The deadliest attack in Russia was the 2004 Beslan school siege which was carried out by members of a Chechen armed group seeking Chechnya’s independence from Russia. The siege killed 334 people, including 186 children.

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N.Y. judge issues a limited gag order on Trump ahead of hush money trial

Ximena Bustillo

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the press in a hallway outside the courtroom at the end of a hearing to determine the date of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on March 25. Justin Lane/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the press in a hallway outside the courtroom at the end of a hearing to determine the date of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on March 25.

A New York judge has issued a new gag order on former President Donald Trump that specifically bars him from making public statements about witnesses, prosecutors or jurors in his first criminal trial.

The gag order also prevents Trump from directing others to make public statements about potential jurors, court staff or family members of staff.

See where the big Trump cases stand in the months leading to the election

This decision was made in response to a request for an order by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's legal team to limit extrajudicial statements made specifically by Trump for the duration of the trial.

The decision comes a day after a new date was set to begin the criminal trial, which is now expected to kick off with jury selection on April 15 . It would be the first criminal trial featuring a former or sitting U.S. president.

Trump has previously been issued fines in civil trials in New York for making public statements about legal staff and their political affiliations that violated other gag orders. Earlier in the day, Trump went after the judge, Juan Merchan, and his daughter, on the former president's social media site, accusing them of political bias.

Appeals court has lowered Trump's bond in civil fraud case to $175 million

Last April Trump pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment accusing him of multiple counts of falsifying business records to keep an alleged affair secret at the end of the 2016 campaign.

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Trump civil fraud case: New York court lowers bond to $175m and gives 10-day deadline

Reduction in bond amount doesn’t reduce the total $454m fine, but assures Trump will pay full amount if his appeal is unsuccessful

A New York court handed Donald Trump a lifeline on Monday as time ran out for the former president to secure a bond covering the $454m loss for his recent fraud case.

A panel of appellate court judges gave Trump 10 days to secure a far smaller $175m bond just hours before New York’s attorney general could legally begin the long, slow process of seizing his assets.

The reduction in the bond amount does not reduce the total $454m fine Trump will ultimately be expected to pay if an appeals court upholds the judgment. Rather, a bond works as assurance that Trump will pay the fine’s full amount if his appeal is unsuccessful. It is unclear how long the appellate court will take to issue a ruling, though it could take at least a few months.

Last week Trump’s lawyers said it was a “practical impossibility” for him to secure a bond for half a billion dollars, covering the full fine from his fraud loss.

“A bond of this size is rarely if ever seen. In the unusual circumstance that a bond of this size is issued, it is provided to the largest public companies in the world, not to individuals or privately held businesses,” his lawyers argued.

People familiar with Trump’s finances told the New York Times the former president should be able to secure a bond to cover the smaller amount.

Along with the fine, Trump also faces a ban from running any company based in New York and obtaining loans from any banks in the state for the next three years. The appellate judges agreed to halt both bans as the court decides on the appeal.

A court-appointed monitor, who has been overseeing the Trump Organization’s financial reporting over the last few years, is expected to continue oversight of the company for another three years as part of the judgment.

If the appellate court had upheld the full fine’s amount for the bond, the attorney general’s office would have likely begun the slow process of seizing Trump’s assets without a full bond.

On Friday James’ office filed judgments in Westchester county, north of New York City, home to Trump’s sprawling Seven Springs estate and golf course. Another judgment had already been entered in New York City, home to some of Trump’s most famous assets, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street.

In a statement, the attorney general’s office emphasized that “the $464m judgment – plus interest – against Donald Trump and the other defendants still stands”.

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“Donald Trump is still facing accountability for his staggering fraud,” the statement read. “The court has already found that he engaged in years of fraud to falsely inflate his net worth and unjustly enrich himself, his family and his organization.”

On Truth Social, Trump’s social media site, Trump once again attacked James and Arthur Engoron, the judge who oversaw the fraud case. “This is the 5th time in this case that he has been overturned, a record. His credibility, and that of Letitia James, has been shattered. We will abide by the decision of the Appellate Division, and post either a bond, equivalent securities, or cash. This also shows how ridiculous and outrageous Engoron’s original decision was at $450 Million. I DID NOTHING WRONG,” he wrote.

While Trump will likely have an easier time securing a bond for the smaller amount, it is still a hefty financial undertaking for whoever agrees to secure the bond for the former president.

Trump added a potential $3bn to his assets on Friday when his Truth Social social network finalized a long-in-the-making stock-market listing. The investment vehicle that merged with Truth Social has become a “meme stock” – an investment that has attracted a cult-like following and whose price seems out of proportion to the business fundamentals.

But that too may be a hard sell. “Meme stocks notoriously go up and down like crazy,” said Nikos Passas, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University. “Whoever makes a decision to deal with Trump at this point will be making a political as well as a financial decision.”

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Behind Closed Doors, Biden Campaign Gathers Major Donors in New York

At a daylong retreat, 175 of the president’s biggest financiers and fund-raisers will hear from top campaign officials.

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By Shane Goldmacher

• March 29, 2024

The morning after President Biden’s fund-raiser with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, his campaign has planned a daylong retreat on Friday for 175 of his biggest financiers and fund-raisers in New York.

The gathering of what the campaign calls Mr. Biden’s national finance committee will feature a half-dozen briefings from his top political advisers, including his campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and two former top White House advisers who have moved over to help lead his campaign , Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and Mike Donilon.

The meeting at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel is a sign of how the president has drawn his financial strength not only from grass-roots contributors but also from major donors who can cut checks as large as $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund, a shared venture of Mr. Biden and the national and state Democratic Parties.

To qualify as a member of Mr. Biden’s national finance team, donors are asked to write a check for at least $47,900.

But that is just the entry level. To be considered a “presidential partner,” donors have been asked to raise $2.5 million, while a “principal shareholder” is asked to raise $750,000.

The donors are also slated to hear from Quentin Fulks and Rob Flaherty, who serve as deputy campaign managers, as well as Dan Kanninen and Lauren Brainerd, the battleground states director and deputy director. A polling and messaging presentation and a finance presentation are planned, as well.

The gathering comes on one of the last days of the first quarter of 2024, a key fund-raising deadline, as the Biden campaign hopes to expand its early financial advantage over former President Donald J. Trump.

The Biden campaign has said that it entered March with $155 million in cash on hand combined with the party. The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee had a combined $44.8 million.

Already this month, the Biden campaign has announced that the joint Obama-Clinton event is expected to raise more than $25 million.

It has not been announced whether Mr. Biden, who was expected to spend Thursday evening in New York, will speak to the donors, though he addressed the last gathering of the national finance committee when he first entered the race at the end of April 2023.

Shane Goldmacher is a national political correspondent, covering the 2024 campaign and the major developments, trends and forces shaping American politics. He can be reached at [email protected] . More about Shane Goldmacher

Our Coverage of the 2024 Elections

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